Chapter 8
Damiens bodyshifts closer to mine. Heat emanates from his chiseled form, and his scent of warm spice and clean linen envelops me, mingling with the sweet vanilla of my perfume.
His hands alight on either side of me, boxing me in at the counter. I swallow hard, my pulse quickening in the charged silence.
Tilting his head, his eyes, dark pools of molten honey, bore into mine, searching and hungry. The corner of his lips quirks up into a smirk.
You smell... His words trail off, a husky whisper that fans the flames of longing within me.
I swallow past the lump in my throat, my entire focus centered on the space between us. Its not a touch, but it might as well be. I can feel the electricity between us, as if the air itself has solidified into a tangible violet force.
Intoxicating, he finally finishes, his breath brushing against my cheek.
My nipples harden beneath my sweater, and goosebumps race along my arms, the cool air of the refrigerator no match for the heat swirling between us.
Damiens eyes flicker downwards as if he can sense the effect he has on me. His smirk deepens, and for a delicious, dangerous moment, I think he might...
Are you going to waste the dinner I made for you?
Hes so damn tall, I realize, craning my neck to meet his eyes. Ive always been one to believe dessert comes first.
Quite the rebel, he teases.
I dont play by the rules. My declaration is firm.
Not anymore… Not since you.
But Im not daring enough to utter these words aloud.
His fingertips trace a path down my face, a gentle touch that lingers on my lower lip. Clearly, you dont, Damien observes.
My tongue comes out when I feel his thumb, and without thinking, I suck on it slowly. At that moment, something seems to snap inside him.
Fuck it… Damien whispers.
His hands come down and lock around my hips as he lifts me up and places me on the kitchen counter, settling between my legs as his head moves closer to mine.
The temperature seems to rise to a level that’s impossible to bear. My body suddenly feels very hot as his hands hover around my waist. One of them explores my back underneath my shirt while the other turns off the stove.
Only then do his lips crash against mine with an urgency that leaves me breathless.
I crash my lips against Damiens, the intensity of our kiss searing through me. His hands grip my hips, pulling me flush against his hard body. Our tongues tangle in a primal dance, exploring, tasting.
Desire thrums through my veins like a raging fire. I cant get enough of him—his masculine scent, the taste of his mouth, the sculpted planes of his chest pressed against my breasts. I rake my nails over the back of his neck and he groans into the kiss, the vibration shooting through my body.
Im drowning in pure, raw lust. Years of repressed longing are unleashed in this moment. This level of hunger terrifies me, but I cant bring myself to pull away. I crave him with a desperation thats both exhilarating and terrifying.
Damien breaks the kiss, his eyes dark pools of want. His gaze roams over my face like hes committing every detail to memory. I blush under his intense scrutiny, my chest heaving with ragged breaths.
He trails a finger along my jawline, his touch feather-light yet scorching. I want this...want you...… he rasps, his voice gravelly with need.
A thrill shoots through me at his words. He wants me. Really wants me, not just my body or what I represent. My knees nearly buckle from the rush of arousal and relief mingling in my core.
Damien seems to sense my reaction because he pulls me impossibly closer, eliminating any space between us. I can feel the hard length of his cock pressing into my belly and I have to stifle a whimper.
I want it too, I admit breathlessly.
His eyes blaze with renewed hunger and he claims my mouth again in a bruising kiss. Our kiss is all teeth and tongues, messy and needy.
I clutch at the hard planes of his back as Damien grinds his hips against me. I gasp into his mouth, the delicious friction sending sparks of pleasure radiating through me.
I wrap one leg around his thigh, craving more of that maddening friction. My entire body is thrumming with arousal, every nerve ending alight and hypersensitive to his touch.
I can taste the faint hint of red wine on his tongue as it slides against my own. Holding him close, unwilling to let this moment end.
The rational part of my brain is screaming at me to stop, to push him away before this goes too far. But the rest of me, the part thats been longing for his touch, craves this connection like oxygen.
Damien breaks the kiss, his forehead pressed against mine as we both struggle to catch our breath. His olive eyes blaze with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine.
This is when you tell me to stop, he rasps, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through me.
I swallow hard, my heart pounding in my ears. Every instinct is screaming at me to let him go, to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak that will follow. Damien is a complication I cant afford, not with my career hanging by a thread.
But as I gaze into the depths of those smoldering eyes, I know Im already in too deep. Im utterly captivated by this man, drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
I cant, I whisper, my voice trembling with longing. I dont want you to stop.
A slow, predatory smile curves Damiens lips as he pulls me back into his embrace. This time, the kiss is unhurried, sensual, his mouth moving over mine with a practiced confidence that has me melting against him.
My back arches as his hands roam over the curves of my body, his touch searing through the thin fabric of my tank top. I can feel the hard planes of his chest, the flex of muscle beneath his crisp dress shirt as he presses me into the kitchen counter.
This is madness. I barely know this man, yet every cell in my body is crying out to be claimed by him. The heat building between us is all-consuming, threatening to incinerate every rational thought in its path.
Damiens lips blaze a trail of fire along my jawline, down the slender column of my throat. I tilt my head back with a breathy sigh, giving him better access as his teeth graze my racing pulse point.
You have no idea how long Ive wanted this, he murmurs against my skin, his voice a low, velvet caress. From the moment I saw you on that stage, you bewitched me.
A whimper escapes my lips as his mouth finds that sensitive spot just below my ear. My nails dig into the hard muscles of his back, clinging to him as waves of desire crash over me.
Damien... I breathe his name like a prayer, a plea for mercy against this exquisite torture.
His hands slide beneath the hem of my tank top, calloused fingertips tracing the bare skin of my waist, my ribs. The contact is electric, setting every nerve ending ablaze with yearning.
I want to taste every inch of you, he growls, his words a dark promise that sends a delicious shiver racing through me. I want to make you come undone beneath my hands, my mouth...
Oh god. The raw sensuality of his words has heat pooling between my thighs. I can feel the damp evidence of my arousal as I shift restlessly against him, silently begging for the friction I so desperately crave.
Damiens hand cups the back of my neck, holding me in place as he claims my lips once more. This kiss is all-consuming, a searing brand that marks me as his. I can taste the salt of my own desire on his tongue as it plunders the depths of my mouth.
My hips roll against his of their own accord, seeking that delirious friction. Damien lets out a guttural groan, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my ass as he grinds his evident arousal against me.
Easy, beautiful, he pants against my lips. Let me take care of you first.
His hand trails a blazing path down my body, nimble fingers popping the button of my jeans. I suck in a sharp breath as he slowly, torturously, lowers the zipper, the sound deafening in the charged silence.
Damien holds my gaze as he slips his hand beneath the denim, his eyes darkening to smoldering obsidian as he discovers the damp heat waiting for him. A low, primal groan rumbles from deep in his chest.
Fuck, youre so wet for me, he rasps, his voice gravelly with lust. Is this what you want, Andrea? My fingers buried deep inside that tight little pussy?
A strangled whimper is all I can manage as his fingers brush against my aching clit. He captures my lips in another scorching kiss, swallowing my cries of pleasure as he begins a maddeningly slow exploration.
This is unlike anything Ive ever experienced.
Damiens touch is skilled, purposeful, his every caress igniting sparks of ecstasy that race along my nerve endings. He plays my body like a finely tuned instrument, coaxing gasps and whimpers from my lips with each deft stroke.
My fingers clutch at the hard planes of his shoulders as the coil of pleasure tightens within me, every muscle strung taut in delicious anticipation. Damiens mouth moves to my neck, teeth grazing my thundering pulse as his fingers work their magic between my thighs.
Let go for me, beautiful, he murmurs, his voice a smoky rasp against my flushed skin. I want to feel you come apart in my arms.
With a broken cry, I shatter, waves of blinding ecstasy crashing over me. Damien swallows my cries with a searing kiss, his fingers never faltering as he prolongs my release until Im boneless and trembling against him.
Finally, he stills his movements, cradling me in his arms as I struggle to catch my breath. His lips brush my damp brow in a tender caress as he murmurs across my parted lips…
Bedroom, he growls, his voice a low, guttural rumble that makes my inner walls clench. Now.